iambic

[ahy-am-bik]

adjective

1. Prosody.

   1. pertaining to the iamb.

   2. consisting of or employing an iamb or iambs.

2. Greek Literature.,  noting or pertaining to satirical poetry written in iambs.

noun

1. Prosody.

   1. an iamb.

   2. Usually iambics. a verse or poem consisting of iambs.

2. Greek Literature.,  a satirical poem in this meter.

iambic

/ aɪˈæmbɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, consisting of, or using an iamb or iambs

2. (in Greek literature) denoting a type of satirical verse written in iambs

noun

1. a metrical foot, line, or stanza of verse consisting of iambs

2. a type of ancient Greek satirical verse written in iambs

Other Word Forms

• iambically adverb
• uniambic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of iambic¹

1565–75; < Latin iambicus < Greek iambikós. See iambus, -ic

Example Sentences

North of Copenhagen is the city of Elsinore, home to the castle where Hamlet takes place, with its wandering ghosts, ill-advised eavesdropping behind the drapes, conversations with skulls, and deadly duels in iambic pentameter.

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The games were meant to show the various types of poetic meter: iambic pentameter, for example, which William Shakespeare used to marvelous effect in many of his poems and plays.

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The tone of “Memnon,” written in iambic hexameter, is direct, spare and cast in a tense of tragic inevitability.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"This is the biggest mountain because I was always worried about the iambic pentameter, about blank verse, and not being trained as an actor," he says.

Read more on BBC

The pair haven't been afraid to experiment over the years, having produced an entirely silent episode, one all in iambic pentameter and now, in the final series, an episode filmed from a doorbell camera.

Read more on BBC